


when words don't come out

by shima_wishes



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Half-Reveal, angst???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-06-01 01:53:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6496225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shima_wishes/pseuds/shima_wishes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I think I'm in love with you, and I'm terrified."</p><p>Chat Noir's heart skipped a beat. He stared at his lady, who stood before him with angry tears brimming in her eyes like he'd never seen before, and opened his mouth to respond. But for once in his life as Chat Noir, he was speechless.</p>
            </blockquote>





	when words don't come out

"I think I'm in love with you, and I'm terrified."  
  
Chat Noir's heart skipped a beat. He stared at his lady, who stood before him with angry tears brimming in her eyes like he'd never seen before, and opened his mouth to respond. But for once in his life as Chat Noir, he was speechless.  
  
Words refused to come out.  
  
"Chat Noir, I- I thought I was in love with someone else, okay?" she took a deep, shuddering breath, and clenched her fists at the sides of her head, as if she was trying to block out a noise that Chat couldn't hear. Perhaps it was her own thoughts. "For so long. For so long I thought I was in love with them, but now I'm falling for you. It keeps me up at night. I feel guilty whenever I'm around him. I don't even know who you are! That's the worst of it. Because there are so many things-"  
  
"Ladybug. I... feel the same way as you do."  
  
"I already know you love me," she sniffed, hastily wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "You've portrayed that to me enough times, Chaton- I mean, Chat. But I just..."  
  
"No, that's not what I mean. Well, it's true that I love you..." Chat trailed off, trying to collect his thoughts. He inched closer to Ladybug, but then shrank back slightly as she flinched away. "I'm scared too, that's what I mean."  
  
She finally looked at him, clear and bright azure blue eyes glistening with tears gazing deeply into his own. He suddenly felt very exposed. When Ladybug looked at him like that, he revealed everything. It was as if she was reaching into his soul and pulling the truth out, all with a look; especially now, when her eyes were no longer furious but sorrowful and hopeless.  
  
If it was for her, though, he didn't mind telling the truth. Ladybug was one of the only people that he felt he could truly be himself around. There were even times when he felt like telling her everything. About his father; about school, Marinette, Nino, Chloé; about who he really was.  
  
One of those times was now, but he didn't feel as if it was entirely appropriate, so instead he settled on simply explaining his words.  
  
"Why are you scared?" Ladybug asked finally, without breaking her gaze. "You've never acted that way before. So why? What makes you scared?"  
  
Chat smiled plaintively at her. "At first, I was just scared that you didn't love me back. To be honest with you I still was until today. You're the love of my life," he noticed the way a hundred emotions crossed his Lady's face in a second, but continued anyway, looking away up at the stars in the inky black sky above them. "I couldn't bear the thought of you never loving me back, and then just continuing our lives after all this... finding other people to love, growing up, moving on... without each other. But then, as time went on, my fears grew more... mature, I guess." he hesitated, glancing back at Ladybug's face. She was staring at him earnestly, encouraging him to continue. "You and I... we don't know who each other are. Anything could happen to the real you and I would never know. Imagine... if something happened to you one day, and you just... disappeared? Stopped coming to patrols? Without me ever knowing what happened? Or even worse, if I were to do that to you... that thought..." his voice cracked, and he felt Ladybug grasp his hand. He took a deep breath. "That thought terrifies me, my Lady. It really does."  
  
He still wasn't looking at her, and he jumped slightly when he felt her hand on his face. It took him a few seconds to realise that she was wiping away his tears - he hadn't even realised that he had been crying. They smiled at each other, slightly forlornly, and then, to Chat's surprise, Ladybug leaned into him.  
  
They were still holding hands, and their legs dangled from the edge of the Eiffel Tower as they looked out across their beloved city. Even at night, it wasn't overly peaceful. Lights still twinkled on the streets and in buildings, and tiny people still moved about like hundreds of ants below them; cars tootled along streets, and night clubs raved. Lives were unfurling right underneath them. Despite all that, high up on the Eiffel where no noise could reach their ears, to Ladybug and Chat Noir the night was quiet, gentle, serene.  
  
After a while, Ladybug spoke again. "What is it... that you like about me?" she asked softly, avoiding his startled gaze. "I just don't really understand what there is to like."  
  
"You're brave and bold and beautiful," he said, smiling to himself as he saw her blush underneath her mask. "And I know that even if you get exasperated with me all the time, it's only really because you care about me. Also, you always smell really nice and sweet. Like a bakery. I like that."  
  
She shot him a slightly irritated look, but her face was still flushed. "I could have done without that last part, you know. But, even though you say all that, Chat Noir... you still don't know who I really am. What if you don't like the real me as much as you like Ladybug?"  
  
"Don't be silly. It doesn't matter who you are underneath the mask! You're still you, aren't you? You're still brave and beautiful, clever and clumsy, optimistic and determined. I'll love you no matter who you are."  
  
"Well, if you're sure about that," Ladybug replied uncertainly. She bit her lip and opened her mouth to ask another question, but Chat put a finger to her lips before she could speak.  
  
"Hold up, my Lady. I think it's my turn to ask _you_ something, don't you think?" he paused, considering the question that had been playing on his mind since their conversation had started. He knew that the answer would make him jealous beyond belief, but also, he now knew that Ladybug loved him too. Whatever she replied with now, it was still possible that he could win her over. "Who's this other person that you're in love with?"  
  
Ladybug sighed. "I knew it," she said, peering at him from underneath her fringe. She couldn't look directly at him, because his arm was wrapped around her shoulders. "I'm sure you've seen him before. He's all over the place, which makes it even more impossible for me to capture his attention, even though we're in the same class. Adrien Agreste, famous model and Parisian sweetheart. Everyone swoons over him for his looks. But he's actually really sweet as well as all that... a great friend, a kind person, hard-working, intelligent, and fair. Admittedly though, I don't know him all that well. I can't bring myself to speak to him properly. I don't even have his phone number!" She laughed and shook her head. "Still sure that I'm as brave and bold as you think?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"...Chat?"  
  
She looked up at him, startled to see a huge grin plastered across his face. She had been expecting to see him seething with anger or even possibly in tears, as much as that thought pained her, but this was entirely the opposite. Shaking himself out of his trance, he pulled her hand up to meet his lips, then dropped it and drew her into a huge hug, burying his face into her shoulder.  
  
"H-hey! Are you okay?" asked Ladybug, allowing herself to return the hug as she felt his comfortable warmth envelop her. His hair tickled her crimson cheek. "Chat?"  
  
"It appears as if you've fallen for the same person twice," his voice was muffled, and Ladybug wasn't sure if she'd heard him correctly.  
  
"Wh-what?"  
  
"My Lady, you've fallen for me twice. Both with and without the mask. I told you that we were made for each other!" Chat caught himself at the last second and covered his mouth. "I'm sorry, I blurted that out without thinking, I shouldn't have done that - I know you want to keep our identities a secret-"  
  
"No! Ch- Adrien- don't be sorry, I- it's just- you wouldn't believe how much of a huge weight that lifts from my shoulders!" She laughed and began to cry again, but this time, the tears were less angry and more joyful. "All this time, I thought I was in love with two separate people. But it was you all along. Did you know that at first, I refused to recognise that I liked you because of Adrien? You silly Chaton, I can't believe _you_ were the reason I couldn't reciprocate your own feelings for _so_ long."  
  
A sudden thought struck Chat, and he pulled away, gazing at her intently at arm's length. "If you're in my class, that means that I know you. Ladybug, who are you?"  
  
"You still haven't guessed? Maybe you're not as intelligent as I thought, Petit Chaton. Or... Adrien." she winked, and Chat melted inside. He wasn't sure whether it was because of the fact that she winked, or because of hearing her call him by his real name, that made him feel so giddy.  
  
"Ladybug, please-"  
  
"Nope!" She stood up with a playful laugh, placing one hand on her hip and taking out her yoyo with the other. If she wanted to believe that Adrien Agreste really loved her, she was going to make him prove it first. "Figure it out. And then you'll know. If you can guess, then I'll confirm it for you! But not until you work it out for yourself. Bye for now, Chaton!"  
  
And then she was gone, swinging away through the buildings of Paris towards her home. She felt bad for leaving Chat so abruptly, but if she'd stayed much longer she probably would have burst into flames. It took all of the strength that she could muster to stay composed and not start stuttering around him, _especially_ after she had winked at him - she smothered her face with her free hand, her face flaming. She had _winked_! At Adrien Agreste! _Multiple_ times! In fact... a memory came back to her, and she almost lost her grip on the yoyo as she pictured it. The kiss. She had _kissed_ Adrien Agreste!  
  
Meanwhile, Chat Noir still stood on the Eiffel Tower, staring after Ladybug into the night. He smiled to himself before leaping off the building and vanishing between the dark rooftops.  
  
He was looking forward to school tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> this is based on a prompt from a writing prompt list on tumblr: http://lotsofimagines.tumblr.com/post/138822844396/writing-prompts-20  
> i've had writer's block for a while so i'm really sorry if this sucked omg.  
> also, find me on tumblr at http://l-adrien.tumblr.com!


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